Saddle-block structure for excavators



C. E. GAGE.

SADDLE BLOCK STRUCTURE FOR EXCAVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17, 1921.

Patented July 111, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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C. E. GAGE.

SADDLE BLOCK STRUCTURE FOR EXCAVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17. 1921.

Patented July 11, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

\N WW ATNT @FWQEO CLARENCE E. GAG-E, OF EVAN SVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO BUCYRUS COMPANY, OF

SOUTH MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

SADDLE-BLOCK STRUCTURE FOR EXCAVATORS.

Patented July 11, 11922,

Application filed February 17, 1921. Serial No. 445,729,

To all QUIZ-0772 it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE E. GAGE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Evansville, in the county of Vanderburg and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Saddle- Block Structures for Excavators; and I do hereby declare that the following is .a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in excavators and similar digging machinery, and pertains more particularly to saddle block structures for use in connection with the booms and dipper handles thereof.

It is in eneral the object of my invention to simplify and otherwise improve such saddle block structures and increase the etfi-.

is usually made, it is quite impossible to' readily or quickly remove the dipper handle structure for shipment of the machinery or for other purposes, this being due to the fact that it is necessary toremove many bolts and other retaining parts.

It is therefore a particular object of this invention to provide the saddle block structure forming the connection between an excavator boom and the dipper handles, with means whereby assemblingor disassembling can be readily accomplished when a single part is loosened and removed, this part being secured in position by a pair of bolts.

With these objects in view the invention resides in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more particularly described and claimed. V

In the accompanying drawlngs Figure 1 represents an elevational view of the forward end portion of the boom structure of an excavating machine and a similar view of a dipper structure, the handles of which are held in position on the former by my improved saddle block structure;

.view of the saddle bloc in the present instance is of box-like construction and which carries on each side intermediate its ends a pair of shipper shaft brackets 6 having bearing portions7 extending above the boom and receiving the end portions of the usual transverse shipper shaft 8, each end of the shipper shaft outwardly of the bearings carrying a saddle block structure receiving one of a pair of handles 9 of the'dipper bucket 10, and inasmuch as the saddle block structures are similar in nature, only one of such structures is specifically shown. It may be incidentally noted that the brackets 6 for the shipper shaft constitute forward extensions of the base member for the usual boom engine (not shown) whereby the proper relation of the boom engine and shipper shaft gearing is at all times assured. The shipper shaft is held against rotation by key members 11 inserted in mating grooves in the shaft end portions and bearings 7, and these key members are retained in place by a. keeper plate 12 secured on the top of the intermediate portion of the shipper shaft by a bolt 13 passed therethrough, each end portion of the plate 12 abutting a respective key member.

My improved saddle blockstructure comprises a saddle block 14 and asaddle block side 15, each having hub port-ions at their inner ends which are mounted on the projected end portion of the shipper shaft, the outer end portion of the saddle block 14 beingi=. projected laterally to provide a bight portion 16 which has an outturned attaching flange 17 having the outer end of the vsaddle block side 15 engaged therewith and shipper shaft between the hub portions of the saddle block, a shipper shaft gear 21 being disposed on the outer end portion of the sleeve and secured thereto by a key member 22. This gear 21 meshes with the boom engine pinion (not shown). The inner end portion of the sleeve 20 has a series of gear teeth formed thereon to provide a pinion 20, the base )ortions of said gear teeth being inset in t e sleeve. Annular bearing surfaces 23 are provided on the sleeve at the sides of the gear teeth, which bearing surfaces ,engage with similar surfaces formed on the edge portions of a rack-bar 24 secured on the lower edge of the adjacent dipper handle 9, said rack-bar carrying a series of rack teeth meshing with the teeth of the pinion 20'. The rack-bar is secured to the dipper handle by transverse bolts 25 that also secure top and bottom sheathing plates 26 and 27 to the body of the handle, which is formed of wood, side sheathing plates 28 being also secured to the handle body. The end of the rack-bar 24 at the inner end of the dipper handle is provided with a stop projection 34 which, when the dipper handle is at its outward limit of movement, engages the bearing surfaces 23.

As indicated by the line of the arrow in Figure 3, the saddle block structure is capable of being swung around the shipper shaft 8 as an axis when the dipper handle is at its outward limit of movement, or in other words when the stop projection 34 engages the annular bearing surfaces 23 as above mentioned. That is to say the bight por-- tion 16 of the saddle block structure is spaced a sufficient distance away from the center ofthe shipper shaft to allow the same to clear the upper rear corner of the dipper handle. 7 Thus while the saddle block structure is adapted to normally embrace the dipper handle and retain the same in cooperation with its operating mechanism, particularly the pinion 20', it may be readily moved out of co-operation with said dipper handle so that the latter can be quickly and easily disassembled.

The saddle block structure is held in normal position straddling the dipper handle by the interposition of a slide block 29 between the bight 16 and the upper sheathing plate 26, said slide plate being removably secured, in position by a pair of bolts 30 which are extended through said bight and into the latter. The slide plate 29 is elongated to provide a considerable bearing surface for the upper edge of the dipper handle, and to accommodate its attachment to the bight portion, the latter is elongated longitudinally of the dipper handle as indicated in Figure 3.

The distance between the bearing surfaces of the dipper handle and the slide block is readily varied to secure accurate assembling by the provision of liners. or shims 31. Furthermore shearing stress on the bolts 30 which would necessarily occur during the reciprocation of the dipper handle is taken up by a heavy shear pin 32 which is passed through the central portion of the bight 16 and engaged in a transverse aperture in the slide plate 29. A cotter-pin 33 passed throu 11 said shear pin and through the sur-' prising a shaft, a holding member in juxtaposition to the shaft and selectively movable with respect thereto, a shiftable member movable between the shaft and said holding member, and a slide plate carried by the holding member and disposed between the holding member and shiftable member for sliding engagement with the latter, said plate retaining the holding member against movement whereby to hold the shiftable member indefinite relation to the shaft and against removal from its normal position, said slide plate being readily removable from the holding member to permit movement of the latter with respect to the shaft and the shiftable member for the disassembling of the latter.

2. In a structure of the class described including ashaft, a saddle block pivotally mounted concentric with said shaft, a shiftable member'disposed between the shaft and the outer portion of the saddle block, said outer portion of the saddle block having swinging movement past the end of the shiftable member to permit disassembling of the latter, and a slide plate detachably secured to the said outer portion of the saddle block between the same and the shiftable member to hold the saddle block against swinging movement and to retain the shift able member in definite assembled relation with the shaft.

@ 3. A structure of the class described including an excavator boom, a shipper shaft mounted thereon, a dipper handle movably supported by the shipper shaft, a saddle block embracing the dipper handle and pivotally mounted concentric with the shipper shaft, a permanent stop member carried by the rear end of the dipper handle to limit outward movement thereof, the outer portion of the saddle block having swinging movement past the rear end of the dipper handle when the same is at its tion with the shipper shaft and the excavator limit of outward movementto permit disboom. 10 assembling of said dipper handle, and a In testimony that I claim the foregoing I slide plate detachably secured to said outer have hereunto set my handat Evansville, in

' 5 portion of the saddle block between the same the county of Vanderburg and State of and the dipper handle to hold the saddle Indiana. block against swinging movement-and to retain the dipper handle in assembled rela- CLARENCE E. GAGE. 

